The Accidental Condition
by MissBerecca
Summary: Wizarding apprentice James casts a spell on the dying Princess Lily to save her life; however, he fails to realise that the spell requires her to give him her first born in return...
1. The Spell

Every inch of Lily's body ached. She wanted to scream with pain and frustration, but didn't have the energy to open her mouth. Her body was overloaded with sensations- she wasn't sure if she had been left to freeze in a snowstorm or to burn in the depths of hell… She struggled to open her eyes but when she did, saw that she was actually in her bedroom, with a nurse and her minder, Minerva, watching over her.

"Look, she's waking up!" Minerva left her seat and sat on Lily's bed. "Your Highness, can you hear me? Your Highness, please, say something if you can." She looked at the princess' face, but couldn't see any sign that Lily had heard her.

Lily wanted to reply but she was too exhausted, and the effort of trying to speak was so tremendous that she had to close her eyes again. But she could still hear.

"Madam McGonagall," said the nurse fearfully as she wiped the princess' forehead with a damp cloth, "she isn't going to get better on her own. If we wait much longer, she'll be beyond help."

Lily heard the nurse say this, but didn't feel too bothered by it. She tried to think about exactly what it meant, but the effort made her feel almost lightheaded- perhaps floaty was a better word. Yes, floaty; she felt as if she was floating somewhere. Somewhere brighter, somewhere more comfortable…

"Minerva, we need to act. Now." The nurse trembled as she used the Royal Minder's first name, but it had the intended effect; Minerva stood up suddenly and looked at the nurse.

"You're right," said Minerva determinedly. "Stay with her, I'll send word to the Wizard."

Minerva took one last look at the princess before leaving the room, moving as swiftly as she could in order to save time. There was only one man who could help now, and that was the Wizard.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall had been in charge of Princess Lily for the last sixteen years. Her mother, the Queen, had died in childbirth and though the King loved his daughter, he had neither the time nor the parenting knowledge to raise a daughter. Instead, he had appointed one of his most trusted advisors to take care of his heir. While Minerva had initially found this unsuitable, and quite honestly a little bit sexist, she had of course agreed. But soon she grew to love the princess in a way she would have never imagined.

When Lily was thirteen, the King had died. Her older sister, Petunia, had assumed the throne, though she was engaged to a man in another kingdom and had only agreed to be Queen on the condition that Lily would take over when she came of age. However, Lily had turned sixteen a week ago and Petunia was still Queen. The interim Queen did not like this arrangement at all, and the fact that her sister couldn't take over the throne because she was on her deathbed didn't interest Queen Petunia in the slightest.

"I've done my job," she had said to Minerva. "It's time for me to leave and finally start my own life."

Minerva had convinced Petunia to agree to stay until Lily became well enough to take over, as long as it happened in the next month. Then, whether or not her sister was well, Petunia was leaving the kingdom to marry Sir Vernon, a man that Minerva quite frankly didn't care for at all.

All of this was running through Minerva's mind as she raced to her office to write to the Wizard. She scribbled a quick note-

 _Princess Lily is in need of urgent care. Assistance required before nightfall. Do not delay_

\- and gave it to a servant with the instruction that it be taken by the castle's fastest rider to the Wizard's tower. She sat down in her armchair and allowed herself to cry, only for a moment, before standing up, straightening her skirts, and returning to her duties. The princess needed her now more than ever.

* * *

Sirius was woken by an insistent knocking on the front door. _Who could be bothered to knock that much,_ he thought, _it'd hurt your knuckles._

"PETER!" Sirius yelled, not moving an inch or opening his eyes. Peter scurried over to the couch that Sirius was lying on. Even with his eyes closed, Sirius knew that the servant was nervously bobbing up and down.

"Yes, Sirius? What can I do for you?" asked Peter, his eyes never focusing on anything in the room for longer than two seconds.

"There's someone at the door," drawled Sirius, at the same moment that the door was knocked on again. "The noise is bothering me. Deal with it, please."

Peter gave a slight bow that Sirius didn't see, and answered the door. A young servant burst into the room, breathless and upset. The commotion was actually enough to make Sirius open his eyes and sit up. The servant ran to him, got down on one knee, and held out a piece of paper for him.

"For you, sir," said the servant, still trying to catch his breath.

"Now Peter, this is a how a real servant works!" grinned Sirius. "Why don't you offer me things on bended knee? Why don't you call me 'sir'?"

"Well," said Peter nervously, bobbing once again. "Sirius, you know I only call the Wizard 'sir'…"

The servant looked up. "You aren't the Wizard?" he asked Sirius, standing. "Have I come to the wrong place?"

"This is the right place, he just isn't here," Sirius said, sulky that he wasn't being bowed to any more.

"But I need to find the Wizard! This is urgent!"

"What's urgent?" Another man had appeared, though the servant wasn't sure where from. "What do you need?"

"Are you the Wizard?" asked the servant, "I need to find him right now."

"I'm not the Wizard, but I am _a_ wizard. My name is James. The Wizard is away and won't be back for days. Sirius and I," said James, gesturing to the man who had resumed his original position, "are apprentices of his. Perhaps we can help. What do you need assistance with?"

"It's not me, sir," said the servant, holding out the paper, "It's the princess. She doesn't have much time left."

"The princess? The princess as in… The princess?" James opened the paper. "Sirius, what do we do?"

Sirius opened his eyes and appeared to give the matter some serious thought. After a moment, he stood up suddenly, ran to the servant and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Return to your castle. Tell whoever you need to that help is on its way. There is no need to worry, all will be well. Now go!" Before the servant could reply, Sirius had turned him around and pushed him out the door.

"So you've got a plan!" said James, relieved. "What are we going to do?"

" _You_ are going to travel to the castle and cure the princess. _I_ am going to go to bed. That nap has really worn me out." Sirius said, stretching.

"Sirius, you can't-" James said, but Sirius had already Disapparated.

James sighed and looked out the window. The sun was already low in the sky. If the message he held was accurate, then he couldn't wait for the Wizard to return. He'd have to try and figure this out himself.

He turned to Peter. "If the Wizard returns before I do, tell him where I've gone and tell him to follow me. I may be out of my depth."

Peter nodded, and a moment later, he was alone in the room.

* * *

James was in front of the royal castle a moment later. He'd passed it by on his broomstick many times, but had never been inside. He pulled up the hood on his cloak and strode through the gates. He needed to give off an air of confidence; he wanted to seem like a capable wizard, one who could save the princess' life. Maybe if other people believed it, he would too. It seemed to work… Until he met Madam McGonagall.

"You're not the Wizard," was his greeting.

James was startled. He didn't know who this woman was, but he had a feeling that she wasn't to be messed with.

"Uh, no, I'm an apprentice of his."

Minerva took a step forward; it took all of James' resolve not to take an automatic step back. "I didn't ask for an apprentice," she said, "I asked for the Wizard. Where is he?"

"Oh, well, he's on a trip." When James saw that this wasn't enough of an answer for the woman, he continued. "He took another apprentice, Remus, to explore an area further north. Apparently there's a forest up there that- but anyway, you said it was urgent, so I thought- I did say to Peter, Peter's the servant, that-"

McGonagall held up her hand to silence him. "What's your name?"

"James."

"James what? You will be in the presence of royalty, this is not a place for first names."

"Oh, um, Potter."

"Mr. Potter. I am Minerva McGonagall, Madam McGonagall to you. I am responsible for the princess." Minerva stared at James, and if he'd thought she was scary before, she was absolutely terrifying now. "Mr. Potter, I am trusting you to save the princess, the heir to the throne of this kingdom, and the most important person in this world, as far as you and I are concerned right now. You will save her and you will do it now, do you understand?"

James nodded, only because he thought that if he spoke, he'd vomit out of fear and nerves.

"Then follow me." And James followed Minerva to the princess' chambers.

She was beautiful. James knew that wasn't what he was supposed to be thinking about, but it was hard to ignore. Long red hair was lying across her pillow, her pale skin drenched with sweat, her lips… James mentally kicked himself. _This woman is dying and you're thinking about her lips? Get a grip._ James looked up and saw the nurse and McGonagall staring at him, clearly wondering why he hadn't said anything since coming into the room but had instead spent the last minute scowling at the ground. He cleared his throat and walked over to the bed.

"James," he said, holding his hand out to the nurse.

"Potter," McGonagall corrected him. James sat on the bed and held his hand to Lily's forehead. Ice cold, though covered in sweat. Before he could stop himself, he had gently moved some of her hair back from her forehead. To distract from his possibly unprofessional move, James turned to the nurse and asked about Lily's condition.

"She came down with a fever a week ago, and she's just been getting worse and worse. Temperatures, tossing and turning. For the past few days, she's been conscious less and less of the time, and her breathing has gotten weaker." The nurse's voice began to wobble. "She… such a sweet girl. She's only sixteen." The nurse tearfully excused herself.

 _The same age as me,_ James thought, though made sure not to say it out loud as he didn't think it would help Madam McGonagall's opinion of him. He began to move around the bed and feel Lily's pulse, forehead, and leaned in to see how strong her breathing was. From what James had learned about healing magic, it was best to feel for the lifeform's aura, and choose a treatment based on what was missing. He had studied many healthy and unhealthy auras to learn the difference, and to recognise different problems and levels of health.

Minerva, the only other person still in the room, had moved back to give James some space. While she'd initially had her reservations, the young man seemed to know what he was doing. And if the Wizard was unavailable, then it was better to have an apprentice than no-one.

James took Lily's hands, and began to hum, but it didn't sound like any humming Minerva had ever heard. James and Lily seemed to vibrate together, and there seemed to be something in the air, like a strange new energy. Was this magic? Whatever it was, Minerva felt it grow stronger, and James became louder. Lily's body seemed to be changing, but she couldn't quite tell how. Then James began to chant, in a voice unlike what she'd heard before.

 _Reduc salutem,_

 _Reduc vim._

 _Feel the force of life flow through your veins,_

 _Banish the demons of death,_

 _I give you life in exchange of another._

 _Open your eyes and bring forth more,_

 _The first shall be mine, and you shall live long._

 _Awake now, awake and live._

 _Come back to the realm of the living._

 _Reduc salutem,_

 _Reduc vim._

The energy in the room became stronger and stronger, until it felt almost unbearable. Minerva had to close her eyes, but James had never felt more alive. He could feel Lily through her hands, feel her entire life force change and grow as he spoke. It was an intensity he had never felt before, a spell on a scale he had never dared to perform. He felt himself being drawn closer and closer to her until everything suddenly stopped.

And she opened her eyes.

They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Bright green and more gorgeous than any gem. James knew that for as long as he lived, he would never forget those eyes.

Lily opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a young man, his face a few inches from hers. He had messy black hair, round glasses, hazel eyes, and a mouth that she wanted to see smile. He was breathless, and she realised the she was too. As she started to notice her surroundings, she saw the she was sitting in her bed, this man was holding her hands, and they were both shaking as if they had just exerted a great amount of energy. She realised that if she leaned in slightly she could kiss him, and he looked like he would happily oblige. But then she saw Minerva out of the corner of her eye, slouched against the wall with her mouth hanging open.

"Minerva, what's wrong?" Lily asked. James barely managed to tear his gaze away from Lily to look at Minerva, but was surprised by what he saw.

Minerva struggled to form words, to say out loud what she had just realised.

"He…" she said, pointing at James, "He gets your first born child."


	2. First Kiss

Lily laughed, mostly out of confusion. She turned to the young man on her bed, who she noticed was still holding her hands.

"What does she mean?" the princess asked. "Who are you by the way, why are you here? Why am I awake?" Lily looked around the room, feeling like there was an awful lot happening that she didn't know about. One moment she'd been floating in the darkness, and then suddenly she was awake, there was a handsome stranger on her bed, and Minerva was talking about a child! She sat back on her pillows; her body felt fine, but she didn't feel mentally prepared for all this activity.

James, however, was concerned by Minerva's words. "What do you mean, I get her first born child?"

Minerva crossed the room and stood in front of James. "That spell, you said that she shall bring forth more and the first shall be yours. What kind of an irresponsible idiot are you?!" It was quite clear that it was taking all of Minerva's self-restraint to not hit James.

"When did he say that?" asked Lily. "Wait, did you say a spell?" She turned her attention to James. "Are you a wizard?"

James nodded. "Just before you woke up, I'd performed a spell to restore your health. You've been very sick, Your Highness." He looked at her worriedly. "How do you feel now?" he asked gently. He let go of her hands to feel her wrists and forehead. As he put his hand on her neck to feel her pulse point, Minerva shrieked.

"What do you think you are doing?" Minerva batted away James' hand, and shoved him away from the princess, taking his place on the bed. "How dare you touch her like that!"

"I'm checking to see if she's alright! I need to know if the spell worked!"

"Well we'll know when she produces an heir and you try to get your hands on it, won't we? I hope you know that won't be happening, by the way." Minerva stood up and glared at James. "I don't know how you thought you could use a spell like that on her, it is completely out of the question that anything like that could happen!"

James interrupted before Minerva's tirade could continue. "Madam McGonagall, I have no interest in the princess' child. I used that spell to save her life! It's an old spell, I'm sure it's just metaphorical or something. When the Wizard returns, I can ask him all about it, and I'm sure the princess won't have a baby before he returns, so there isn't an issue!" James looked past Minerva to grin at Lily. "Don't worry, your Highness. Your babies are safe."

Lily had been right- that mouth looked great with a smile on it.

Minerva looked at James as if she wanted to shout at him some more, but decided against it. "Well Mr. Potter, I think your work here is done. You may go. Please have the wizard contact me once he returns."

"No!"

Lily and James shouted at the same time. Everyone looked at each other, surprised, and James took the opportunity to plead his case.

"Madam McGonagall, I can't leave now. With the level of magic I performed, I don't feel comfortable leaving the princess until I know that she has fully adjusted. Please let me stay, I need to know that she's safe and well." Despite her reservations, Minerva could see that what James said made sense.

"Your Highness, now that you are better than you were, there are a few things I need to take care of. A chambermaid will be with you momentarily to make you more comfortable." She bowed to Lily and gave James one last warning look before leaving the room.

"So why did you say no?" asked James, turning to Lily and raising an eyebrow. Lily felt herself get warm.

"Oh, well, um… Like you said. Big spell, need to be safe. I don't know anything about magic, so I want someone who does to be nearby."

"Right." James sauntered over to the bed, and sat down. He knew that his real reason for saying no was that he didn't want to leave her; could she have felt the same way? He knew nothing would ever happen, but it still felt good to have an attractive person find you attractive. And she was more than attractive; she was breathtaking.

"What's your name?" Her question broke his train of thought, which had begun to focus on her lips again.

"James, though Madam McGonagall has insisted I be called by my last name, which is Potter. But you, Your Highness, you may call me whatever you like."

Lily smiled. "I'll go with James, if you don't mind. My name's Lily."

"Oh, well I'm assuming I can't call you that, but that's good to know."

"You can call me Lily if you'd like." James looked at her, surprised. "I know it's not exactly appropriate, but you can do it now, while we're alone." She took his hand, only realising that she'd done when she noticed how right it felt. They both looked at their connected hands, and then at each other.

"Sorry," Lily went to pull her hand away, but James held on to it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lily." He pulled her hand up slightly and kissed it. Lily laughed, which was not the reaction James had hoped for.

"What's so funny?" he asked. "I'm trying to be gentlemanly! Isn't that what you're supposed to do, kiss a lady's hand when you're introduced?"

Lily laughed harder. "Well normally the lady in question is wearing gloves, and even then you don't actually kiss her hand, you just press your lips against it."

"Well that's the last time I try to be a gentleman!" James let go of Lily's hand and crossed his arms, which made her stop laughing.

"Hey, I appreciate it." Lily put her hand on James' arms, and he uncrossed them. Once again, she took his hand without realising. Why did she keep doing that?

James took her other hand and faced her. "It's because of the spell," he said. Lily looked at him, not realising he was answering the question she'd just asked herself. "We want to hold hands because we shared magic like this, in this position. Like I said, it was a powerful spell that was only just performed; it's natural to feel like this." James looked up from their hands and into Lily's face, and realised how right it did feel.

"It's really strange." Lily could feel herself leaning forward slightly, and could see James copying her. "What exact position were we in for this spell?"

James leaned in a little more, until their faces nearly touched. "Like this." His voice was so quiet that Lily only heard it because they were so close. They stared at each other and that energy returned, though neither of them were sure if it was the remnants of the spell, or something else.

"Your Highness?"

They only realised they'd begun to close the gap between them when they had to pull apart. They both looked to the door, where a maid was standing.

"James, this is Alice, my chambermaid." Lily sounded like she needed to clear her voice. "What is it, Alice?"

"I'm here to bathe you and get you ready for bed, Your Highness," said Alice. James rose from the bed to let the maid by, which caused both him and Lily to realise they were still holding hands. Another maid came in to help, moving James into a chair in the corner of the room. Alice was about to help Lily undress when she realised he was still there. She gave him a pointed look, and he excused himself.

* * *

James wandered through the castle, fascinated by his surroundings. The knights of armour, the tapestries, the paintings… He found a corridor where each member of the royal family had their own portrait, and walked past generations of rulers until he found Lily. She looked a bit younger, James thought. Very sweet, wearing a pale pink dress and a glittering tiara. It was a good painting, but it didn't quite capture Lily's essence. No painting could do those eyes justice. He realised he'd been staring at the painting for a few minutes, and should probably return to the real princess before his absence looked strange. He didn't want to give Madam McGonagall any more reason to dislike him.

As he walked, he thought about what she had said. Was Lily's first child really his now? He'd only used that spell because it was the only one he thought would be strong enough. He'd been thinking more about the healing power; he'd been aware of the "first shall be mine" part, but hadn't thought much of it. Honestly, he was just glad that he'd been able to save her. He didn't want or need any kind of payment, he just wanted to know that the spell had worked.

 _The Wizard will know how to solve this,_ James thought. _Even if I am supposed to have Lily's first born, there must be a way out of it._

"So," said Alice, once she and Lily were alone. "That's the apprentice? Madam McGonagall had said the Wizard hadn't come. I was worried whoever had come wouldn't have been able to help." She looked at Lily. "I'm so glad you're feeling better, Your Highness. I realise you're not fully recovered, but… I wasn't sure we'd ever speak again. I'm so relieved."

"He did well," said Lily, getting back into bed. "Though I'm not sure about all this child business…"  
Alice was suddenly very alert; she'd seen that the princess and the boy had been close when she arrived, but surely nothing had happened, had it? "What child business, Your Highness? What's going on?"

"Oh no, there's no child," clarified Lily quickly, seeing Alice's panic. "The spell James used just had strange wording, and Madam McGonagall was confused by it." Though as she said it, Lily wondered what that wording would mean. She hadn't actually heard the spell herself, and was curious.

"So his name is James? I thought he was called Potter," said Alice, raising and eyebrow at Lily's choice of words. Alice had always thought that Lily deserved to have a bit of fun whenever the opportunity presented itself, however rarely, so she was glad to see that Lily blushed a little. "He's a handsome young man."

"Is he? I wouldn't even- Hi, James." The look on Lily's face as James walked in told Alice that she might as well not even be in the room any more. And when she turned, she saw that James' face had an identical expression.

"Thank you, Alice. I'll say goodnight," said Lily. "James is to sleep in here tonight, he's staying in case anything happens to me. Madam McGonagall already knows."

Alice doubted that Madam McGonagall knew that James would be in the same room as the princess, but decided to leave it. Lily was still too weak to do anything too irresponsible, but even if she was strong enough, Alice knew she'd be sensible. Being raised to rule a kingdom tended to put an old head on young shoulders. Alice left quietly, unnoticed by either Lily or James.

"How do you feel?" asked James, once again feeling Lily's wrists and forehead. But when he got to her neck, there was no hand to swat him away. He checked her pulse, then brought his hand up to hold her face.

"I'm fine," said Lily, feeling her face heat under his hand. "How are you?"

"Me?" James was surprised by the question, though he wasn't sure how he was, now that he thought about it. He was experiencing a lot of emotions, all of which he knew were because of Lily. "I'm great, I'm just so glad that you're feeling better."

"Thanks to you. Alice said I was pretty bad. Everyone was worried. You saved my life, I don't know how I can repay you."

As she said it, they both remembered how she was supposed to repay him.

"That's not true, is it?" she asked. "About the baby."

James took his hand away from her face, but instantly took her hand instead. "I don't think so. When the Wizard returns, I'm going to ask him all about it. But I don't want you to worry; I'm not going to take your child."

"But what about magical contracts? I've heard of those, and they can be binding. We might not have a choice."

"I'm telling you, we definitely have a choice," said James, though he knew there was nothing definite about it.

Lily, still very weak from her illness, fell asleep quite quickly. James smiled as her face changed and her body relaxed. He had already decided to sleep in the chair beside her bed, but when he stood up from his seat on the bed, he was surprised to find that Lily's grip on his hands hadn't loosened in her sleep. He gently prised his hands away from hers, blew out the candles in the room, and sat in the chair. It wasn't very comfortable, and James wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed beside the princess, but he knew that it would be incredibly inappropriate. Disappointed by his own sense of chivalry, he attempted to sleep comfortably in the chair.

Lily woke to find the room dark and her hands empty. When she opened her eyes, James wasn't on the bed, and she was far more upset about it than she felt she ought to be. She saw James lean forward to look at her just as she saw him sitting on the chair.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just, you know, trying to find a good sleeping position. Are you alright, do you need anything?" James was already sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her intently and holding her hands. She suddenly wished she could find a way to make him always respond like that.

"I'm fine, I just woke up. You can't sleep on that chair, stay with me." She felt quite bold asking it, but she didn't care. She knew she'd never get another opportunity like this.

"Oh no, I'm fine, it's-

"James. Please."

And without another word, he climbed in beside her. James realised at that moment that he'd do anything Lily asked him, and it hurt that she'd probably never ask him for anything after tonight. They lay beside each other, face to face, and James wondered if he'd ever see her after tonight. He hoped so.

They felt the energy change once again, though this time they were both pretty certain it wasn't the spell. They inched closer to each other, eventually gaining enough courage to put their arms around each other.

"Can I tell you something?" Lily whispered. James nodded. "When you kissed my hand earlier… That's the only real kiss I've ever gotten."

"That's the only real kiss I've ever given. I hope it was alright."

Lily smiled. "It was fine. Better than fine. But it means that you've given one and I haven't…Can I kiss you?"

 _As if she has to ask!_ James thought, but he just nodded in response. "Would you like my hand?" he joked, then realised if she actually just kissed his hand, he'd kick himself every day for a year. As would Sirius, when he told him.

Lily shook her head, then leaned in close and kissed James on the cheek. When she leaned away, she kept her face close to his. "Was that okay?" she asked.

"More than okay." And James slowly leaned in to kiss Lily. The arms they had around each other tightened, and they kissed slowly. After a minute, they pulled apart, amazed at what had happened and dying to do it again.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

And they kissed again.

This continued a few times. James was tempted to move his hands once or twice, but decided against it. They both found themselves holding each other very tightly, and forgetting about the outside world. They weren't sure why they were doing it, but they couldn't resist. It felt like a need they'd never known they'd had before. As Lily grew more tired, James started to give her small kisses on different parts of her face. Lily felt herself being kissed to sleep, and she loved it. She wanted to tell James she wished she could fall asleep this way every night, but instead tried to remember every detail of this night.

As she fell asleep once again, James relaxed and stared at her. They were still holding each other tight, and James knew that one night wouldn't be enough, but it was all he could have.


	3. The Next Morning

When Lily woke up, the first thought was _Wow, I haven't felt this good in weeks!_ As she opened her eyes, she remembered why.

James had taken his glasses off at some point during the night. They were in the same position they had been in last night; faces inches apart and arms around one another. Lily was able to look at his face up close. He looked different without his glasses; she felt as if she was seeing something very private. She was about to move in and gently kiss him when he opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Your Highness." Lily felt her breath catch in her throat when she heard how gravelly James' voice sounded first thing in the morning. Was that normal? She'd been asleep less than five minutes before, but she suddenly felt very awake.

James looked at Lily. Once again, he was struck by how pretty she was, but this time by the look in her eyes too. She was looking at him in a way that made him want to do all the things he'd stopped himself from doing the night before.

They both inched closer to each other, moving slowly in case the other person wanted to back away. But neither of them did.

This was different to last night's kiss. Before, it had been slow and sweet; now, they both felt an urgency that they couldn't quite explain. The careful placement of hands from last night had been completely forgotten too. Lily had one hand in James hair and the other under his arm to grab his shoulder. She loved being able to touch two of the things she'd been admiring before. His hair felt so soft and she loved the sound he made when she gently tugged on it. As she moved her hand to feel his arm, she felt another rush of attraction at how strong he felt.

James had one hand around Lily's waist and another on her backside, pulling her close. He couldn't resist grabbing her ass tight and when she brought her leg up and put it on his hip, he thought he might die from happiness. The ache he felt in his groin was almost unbearable, and instinctively he began to grind his hips against hers. He was about to apologise for what he'd done when Lily moaned quietly and moved her hips too.

He'd been wrong. This was the moment where he'd die from happiness.

Lily was trying to get her hips as close as she could to James. She'd never felt anything like this, and when she rubbed herself against his crotch it felt so unbelievably good.

They felt themselves slowly moving to let James on top of Lily. Even though they'd both been aware of what was going on, James felt like he needed to check that this was okay. He'd just opened his mouth to ask when there was a knock at the door.

James looked down at Lily and even though he was terrified, he had to take a moment to remember how she looked. Her eyes were wide from panic, but he could still see how aroused she was. Her cheeks were pink, her hair was everywhere, and she was still slightly breathless. He quickly gave her a gentle kiss and disappeared. Lily sat up, wondering where he'd gone, when she saw him sitting in the chair he'd tried to sleep in the night before.

Before she could say anything, the door opened and Minerva walked in. She looked at both Lily and James; they looked slightly guilty but weren't doing anything they shouldn't be, so she simply glared at James and made her way over to the princess' bed.

"Good morning, Your Highness. How are you feeling?" As Minerva said this, James felt a stab of guilt for not asking that himself. He was here to return the princess to health, and all he'd done since the moment he'd woken up was kiss her.

 _Well, I didn't just kiss her,_ James thought. But he made sure to stop himself before he thought too much about what had happened. Becoming visibly aroused in front of Madam McGonagall sounded like his worst nightmare. He turned his attention back to the conversation on the bed.

"I'm fine," said Lily, quickly glancing over and James, who was running a hand through his hair and grinning at her sheepishly. She tried not to smile back at him seeing as Minerva was right in front of her, but she couldn't help herself.

Minerva turned to James. "Potter, did anything happen during the night? Or will the princess be alright?"

"She'll be fine, there were no complications." James decided that what actually had happened during the night probably wasn't what the Royal Minder wanted to hear.

"In that case, you can go. Please have the Wizard contact me as soon as possible." And with that, Minerva turned back to Lily as if the matter were closed. James thought desperately of some reason that he could use to stay, but knew there was nothing. He stood from his seat, bowed to Madam McGonagall, and then to the princess.

"Goodbye, James. Thank you for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you." Lily felt her throat ache, and was annoyed at herself. She told herself she must just be emotional because she was still recovering from illness, but as she looked at James, she knew that wasn't true.

"You're welcome, Your Highness." James took Lily's hand and kissed it. Once again, it was a real kiss; Lily decided it was far better than what a kiss on the hand was supposed to be.

* * *

James found the tower exactly the way he'd left it; the Wizard and Remus were gone, Sirius was asleep, and Peter was nervously moving from one room to another, pretending to clean but not actually making anything cleaner. James decided to wait for Sirius to wake up by looking up spells that involved payment in return, specifically payment in the form of first-born children. He was starting to panic slightly, as he knew that if there was a magical contract involved, it would be difficult to break.

"How do you feel?" asked Alice, as Lily ate her dinner that evening. Lily put down her fork and thought. She knew Alice was asking about her health, but that wasn't what she was thinking about. The honest answer was that she missed James. She didn't know how she could miss someone she barely knew, but she did. She looked up at Alice, but didn't know what to say.

"I understand," said Alice, taking the princess' hand. "When I first met my husband, I felt like I could never be happy unless I was with him. Young love can be very tough."

Lily scoffed. "Young love? No, no, I'm not in love with him, I wasn't even thinking about him!"

"Thinking about who? I didn't mention anyone." Alice left with Lily's plate, smiling to herself.

Lily scowled at Alice's retreating back. She wasn't in love with James, of course she wasn't. Though, if she was honest, she knew she wouldn't be able to forget him.


	4. Meeting The Wizard

_He was on top of her again, in her bed, just like before. They were kissing again, and it felt unbelievably good. Their hands were all over each other, and they were both gasping for breath. James' kisses moved away from Lily's mouth and down her neck. He began to open the ties at the front of her gown and move his way down to-_

"THE PRINCESS?!"

James sat up in his bed, bewildered. Remus was standing over him, looking furious. _Not exactly what I'd been hoping to wake up to,_ thought James.

"I spent the last four days picking mushrooms and meditating, and you get to perform magic on the princess?! Well you're definitely going to be the next Royal Wizard now, I haven't got a hope!"

James took a minute to stretch and properly wake up as Remus continued his rant. _To be fair, I'd be pissed off too if I'd had to pick mushrooms and someone else got to meet Lily,_ he thought. He smiled to himself; he'd only been awake for thirty seconds and he was already thinking about her. It had been the same way ever since he'd left the castle.

James looked up at Remus, who had clearly just asked him a question.

"Sorry, what?"

Remus sat down on the bed. "I said, what happened?"

"Yes. I think we'd all like to know that."

James and Remus both turned to see Albus Dumbledore standing in the doorway.

With his long silver hair and beard, twinkling eyes behind half-moon spectacles, and brightly coloured robes, he really did look like a traditional wizard. When arriving to the kingdom he had introduced himself by name. "Though," he had told his apprentices, "I believe the young man I had introduced myself to didn't know how to spell 'Albus Dumbledore', and had been to afraid to ask. So I was introduced to the court simply as 'The Wizard'. Though I have to say, I do enjoy the air of mystery it gives me," he added. Sirius would later swear that Dumbledore had winked at him when he said that.

Sirius suddenly appeared in the bed beside James. "Scoot up, I need to be comfortable for story time."

James looked around the room at all the expectant gazes focused on him. Would Dumbledore be angry? Should he have used a different spell? He knew that there was no way to hide what had happened, so he told the story from beginning to end- minus the kissing, of course.

When he had finished, the room was silent. James ran his hands through his hair, afraid that he'd get himself in more trouble if he kept talking. He looked around to see each person's reaction. Sirius had taken over James' bed and was looking thoughtful, though James knew he could very easily have stopped listening to the story halfway through, and was in fact thinking about something completely unrelated. Remus looked as if he was slightly less jealous of James' experience; he'd have hated to face such a dilemma. But Dumbledore's response was what surprised him.

"She's a wonderful girl, the princess."

The three apprentices watched him as he crossed over to an armchair, sat down, and fixed his gaze on James.

"Did you feel connected to her?"

James nodded. "Yes, when I cast the spell we were quite physically close-"

"No." Dumbledore's gaze felt intense. "Forget the spell for a moment. How did you feel about her?"

James tried to think of something that sounded like what a wizard should say, but realised that he could think of nothing but the truth. "I've never met anyone like her, and I don't think I ever will again. I care about her."

"And did you feel this way before you cast the spell? And afterwards, when there was no magic involved?"

James thought for a moment, remembering how amazed he had been at her beauty when he had first seen her, and what had happened between them afterwards. He returned Dumbledore's gaze.

"I care about her."

James looked away from Dumbledore just quickly enough to see Remus and Sirius exchange a look. He was already reddening at what he had said in front of them; they weren't going to let him forget about this any time soon.

"Well, that settles it." Dumbledore was already on his feet. James stood up too, but didn't feel like anything had been settled at all.

"I'm sorry, what are we doing?"

"Well, there's only one thing to do. I shall go and speak to the princess, and also to her minder."

"Good luck," chipped in Sirius, still lying in James' bed. Remus gave him a disapproving look, but Sirius defended his words with a shrug.

James followed Dumbledore as he prepared for his journey. "And what will I do?"

"Stay here. When I need you, you'll know." Dumbledore rubbed a ring he was wearing as he said this, and James looked at his own hands. He was wearing three rings, and each one would glow if someone needed him; one for Dumbledore, one for Remus, and one for Sirius. James looked up to ask another question, but Dumbledore was already gone.

* * *

"Your Highness, the Wizard is on his way."

Lily's pulse immediately quickened. She couldn't believe she was going to see James again so soon. She'd been thinking about him almost constantly, but she'd resigned the idea of seeing him again to the subject of daydreams. But he was really coming back!

She thanked her servant for the message, and immediately returned to her chambers. She had just applied some perfume and was attempting to pin up her hair when Minerva entered the room.

"Do you need some assistance, Your Highness?" Minerva had her hands clasped and one eyebrow raised, a position that automatically made Lily feel guilty.

"Oh no, I'd just been told that the Wizard is on his way, so I thought I should make sure that, um, that I look professional."

Minerva didn't believe it for an instant.

"Very good, You Highness. Seeing as this is your first meeting, it may be best. Albus Dumbledore is an important man."

Lily froze. "I'm sorry, who?"

"Albus Dumbledore, Your Highness. He will be here momentarily."

Lily slumped in her chair. _Of course it's not him,_ she thought.

"Were you expecting someone else?"

A new voice made Lily spin in her seat. An elderly man with a long silver beard was sitting in an armchair that she would have sworn was empty a moment earlier. The man stood and bowed.

"An honour to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Albus Dumbledore. You may know me better as 'The Wizard' though please, feel free to use my name. 'Dumbledore' will more than suffice."

Lily quickly stood and curtsied. "Mr. Dumbledore, I apologise, I hadn't realised you had arrived."

"Would I be right in saying that isn't the only reason you're surprised? I believe you met my apprentice, James. I'm afraid it's just me here today."

Lily tried to hide her disappointment. "Not at all, sir. What brings you here?"

Dumbledore walked over to Lily and held his hands open. "May I?"

Lily nodded and Dumbledore took her hands in his.

"Please tell me if you feel anything unusual in your hands." Suddenly the air around Lily felt strange, but her hands felt totally normal. After a moment, everything returned to normal and Dumbledore returned to his seat.

"Let me explain the reason for my unusual behaviour," said Dumbledore. "When my apprentice cast a spell on you, you were in physical contact, and sometimes remnants of the magic can remain in the body. However, I believe that you and James bonded during your encounter, and I wanted to see whether that was due to the spell, or simply an emotional connection. Your Highness, there is no magic in your system."

Lily felt her heart skip a beat at this news. It wasn't a spell, what she had felt when James had held her hands was… Well, it wasn't magic. It was something else.

"The reason I felt the need to figure that out," Dumbledore continued, "was due to the nature of the spell that James used."  
Lily's heart skipped a beat again, but for a different reason. "Yes, I've been informed of what happened. Please, Dumbledore, just be honest with me; will my child be safe?"

Albus' eyes twinkled in a way that made Lily feel like he knew something she didn't, but also somehow reassured her.

"Your Highness, no matter what happens, your child will be safe. James Potter will always be faithful to your wishes, and will not take your child from you. You can trust him."

"I know." The words came out of Lily's mouth before she realised what she'd been thinking. She quickly continued to talk to distract from her embarrassment. "So, what's going to happen? How will this affect my life?"

Dumbledore leaned back and thought for a moment. "I'm afraid that I cannot provide a definitive answer for that. It will depend on if and when you have a child, and on your relationship with James. As per custom with this kind of spell, James must be aware of the child before it is born. Ideally, this would be the point when we can plan for what will happen to the child. I believe that the best course of action would be to be a part of the child's life, perhaps as a mentor, or some such role. That can be decided in due course."

Lily relaxed slightly; she felt that she could live with that answer for now. She had no immediate plans for a child, she just needed to know what would happen when those plans changed. "What do you mean, my relationship with James?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "James will be in contact with you soon."

Lily was about to ask for an explanation when Dumbledore got to his feet.

"I'm very sorry my dear, but I must go. The wonderful Royal Minder has requested my presence, and I dare not disappoint her. It's been a pleasure."

Dumbledore bowed again, and was gone.

Lily sat down once she was alone again. She thought about everything Dumbledore had said, but there was one thing she thought about over and over again- James would be in contact soon.


	5. Fight or Flight

The sun had just set and Lily was in one of the gardens. Ever since speaking to Dumbledore, she'd only been able to think of one thing: _James will be in contact with you soon._

 _How soon?_ Lily asked herself. Maybe he wouldn't come today. Disappointed, she turned in the direction of the castle. However, she'd only taken a few steps when she heard a voice above her.

"Lily!"

Her heart leapt as she saw James hovering a few feet above her- on a broom! She watched, her mouth open, as he gently landed in front of her. He grinned at her expression.

"Never seen a flying broomstick before?"

Lily shook her head and laughed. "I didn't even think they were real! That's amazing!" She looked at the broom, and then back at James. "But you can… disappear. Why would you use a broom?"

James thought about it for a moment, then grinned at her mischievously.

"Well, I could tell you why… Or I could show you." He held out his hand, which Lily instantly took. The touch made them both smile.

"I'm not going on this on my own, am I?" asked Lily nervously.

James shook his head, smiling. "I'll be the one controlling the broom, you're just coming along for a ride. Don't worry princess, you're safe with me."

As he said that, Lily did feel safe. She felt like nothing would happen to her if James said so.

James swung one leg over his broom, then gestured Lily to move behind him and do the same. She swung one leg over and put her hands on James' shoulders, but he moved them down to his waist.

"You'll need to hold on tight, okay?" Lily thought she was holding on tight, but as soon as their feet left the ground, she pulled herself tightly against James' torso, which made him laugh.

"Are you alright back there?"

Lily, making sure that her grip on James was tight, looked around. The view was incredible; she could see the castle, the gardens, the nearby fields and forests- everything! She'd never been up this high before!

"This is amazing," she said softly.

"Do you think you're ready to fly?"

"Fly?" Lily tried to look at James' face, but then stopped when she felt like she was moving too much. "But we are flying!"

"No," said James. "We're hovering." Suddenly he leaned forward and they sped through the air. "This is flying!" he yelled. Lily screamed, initially out of fear, but it quickly turned into a scream of delight. The air rushed past their faces as James expertly soared through the sky. He brought them up high before taking a dive, which made Lily scream again, then started circling the castle.

"There's my room!" shouted Lily, brave enough to let go of James with one hand and point to a balcony. "Can you land there?" She decided that she did love flying, but that she'd had enough for now.

James dutifully landed on the balcony, slowing down as they reached the ground. They both got off the broom, Lily laughing from the adrenaline still coursing through her body, and James laughing at how happy Lily was.

He put a hand out to steady her. "Did you enjoy that?" Lily, still full of energy, bounded toward him and hugged him, almost jumping on him in the process.

"It was amazing!" she said, still a slight giggle in her voice. James quickly wrapped both of his arms around her; Lily looked over his shoulder to see that the broom had magically disappeared.

James pulled away slightly to face Lily. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he grinned, though he quickly became serious when he realised he was in the perfect position to kiss her. He leaned in very slightly, but was stopped by Lily's words.

"I met Dumbledore today."

"Right." James supposed it was time to get down to business. "Quite a man, isn't he?" he said jokingly, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Yes, he seems great." Lily let go of James and opened the door to her bedroom. "Come in."

James followed her into the room, desperate to find a reason to re-establish physical contact. Despite only doing it a moment ago, he missed holding her. She'd already sat in an armchair, and he had no choice but to sit in another chair opposite her.

"Dumbledore had said that you'd be in contact," Lily blurted out after a moment of awkward silence.

Another moment of silence. "Um, yeah," said James, ruffling his hair, causing it to stick up at odd angles. Lily couldn't help but like how it looked. "I'm basically here to… Well if I'm honest, I don't really know why I'm here. Dumbledore seems to have some kind of plan, but didn't think to share it with me." He grinned apologetically at Lily, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"I can imagine that happening," said Lily, casting her mind back to her conversation earlier that day. "He said that what happens, all of this spell stuff, will depend on our relationship."

James felt his face grow warm. "He said that?"

Lily noticed James' blush. "Yes… Why, what did he say to you?"

"What? Oh no, he didn't really say anything, um…" James looked up at Lily and saw the serious look on her face.

"Please don't lie to me," she said softly. "This could really affect my life. I need to know what's going on."

James realised she was right. He could get over his own embarrassment; there were bigger things at stake here.

"He asked how I feel about you." He wanted to stop there, but Lily's expression made him know he'd have to continue. "I told him that I care about you. And not because of the spell. I really do…" He put his head down to avoid eye contact again. "I do care about you."

Lily froze. _He cares about me._ She looked at James, then reached over and took his hand. He looked up.

"Thank you," she said gently. "That means an awful lot to me." She wanted to say that she cared about him, tell him exactly how much she cared, but felt that she couldn't. She was going to be Queen, she couldn't care about James more than was appropriate. But she could see in his face that he'd been hoping she'd say something else, and it hurt so much that she couldn't give him what he wanted.

James squeezed her hand before letting go and cleared his throat, before removing something from his pocket.

"I have something for you," he muttered, before pulling out a ring. He tried to hand it to Lily, but instead she held out her hand from James to put it on her finger. He was about to put it on her ring finger, but quickly realised his mistake, and put it on her middle finger instead.

"It's beautiful," said Lily, examining her hand.

"It's useful too," said James. He held up his hand and Lily saw that he was wearing an identical ring.

Lily looked back at her own ring. "Why, what does it do?"

"Watch this." James rubbed his ring, and both of their rings began to warm and glow slightly. "I needed a method of communication with you, and this seemed perfect. Before I come to visit, I'll let you know by signalling you with the ring. And if you ever need me, just rub yours."

"That's perfect. But," Lily paused, not wanting to speak to abruptly in case it seemed rude, "Why will you be visiting? Not that I won't want to see you," she added hastily, "Of course I will!" As she looked at James, she felt as if there was a greater distance between them.

"Don't worry, I'll only come to you on official business." He wasn't looking at her again. "I'll come by every so often to see if you're pregnant. The idea is that the sooner I know, the faster I can work on breaking the spell without affecting your health."

James was on his feet now. Lily stood up and tried to catch his eye. She could feel her throat aching, as if she needed to cry. "James, I-"

James turned and looked Lily straight in the eye. "Goodbye, Your Highness." He took her hand and kissed it, then quickly walked out of the room through the balcony. Lily tried to catch up to him, but by the time she got to the balcony, he was already on his broom, an increasingly small speck in the sky.

Lily returned to her room and sat on her bed, tears streaming down her face. Should she had said something? She felt like she had been so cold and unfeeling. He'd told her he cared about her, and she had thanked him. She lay down on the bed, wishing that she could tell him the truth, and not have to worry about the repercussions.

The air rushed against James' face once again, but this time he didn't enjoy. Instead it stung, and after a moment he realised it was because there were tears on his face. He cursed, and flew faster. _You're such an idiot,_ he thought. _"I care about you?" She doesn't need to hear crap like that, you could have said anything else._

 _It doesn't matter,_ he told himself. _You won't have to see her again for a while. A few seconds every few months, until she has a child and you can get out of her life._

He knew he'd hate it, but it was what had to be done. He'd gotten himself into this mess, and now he'd have to deal with it. He looked down at the ring on his hand.

 _She's never going to need me,_ he thought bitterly. _But at least now she'll know when I'll be bothering her._ He sped off into the night, trying to think about anything but the girl he now knew didn't care about him.


	6. Coronation Day

_One month later_

It was the morning of Queen Lily's coronation. James watched as Dumbledore adjusted his dress robes and combed his beard in the mirror.

"It's not too late for you to accompany me, James." Dumbledore looked at his apprentice through the mirror. "Our new Queen knows you personally, I think it would mean a lot to her if you attended."

"I'm not so sure about that." James cast his mind back to his last conversation with Lily; he'd told her that he cared about her, and she had thanked him. He told himself he didn't want to see her today because of embarrassment, but knew that deep down there was another reason.

"She'd be far too busy to talk to me anyway," he muttered. "I only have to speak to her every so often, I'll do it when she isn't so busy." He looked down at his ring, wishing it would glow. If he were given a sign that Lily wanted to see him, he would be there in an instant.

Lily looked down at her ring and sighed. Every day since their last encounter, she had waited for the ring to glow. She thought of rubbing it and signalling James at least half a dozen times every day, but didn't know what she would say to James if he came.

 _Could I tell him how I feel?_ she thought. _Would he care? Would it change anything?_

She looked at herself in the full-length mirror in front of her. Three maids were fussing over her, making sure that she looked perfect for her coronation. Her gown was simple, as she would be wearing and holding very ornamental pieces during the ceremony. Lily looked at the floor length cream ballgown and then at her own face. Was this the face of a queen?

"Minerva, I need to talk to you," Lily began, but her minder shushed her, too busy making a last minute adjustment to the gown.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but not now. Whatever it is, we can talk about it after the ceremony."

 _After the ceremony._ Lily thought. _When I'm Queen._

The coronation itself was a blur to Lily. As the crown was placed on her head, she felt as if its weight symbolised the responsibility she would bear for years to come, perhaps even for the rest of her life. She turned to face her subjects, scanning the crowd for the one face she hoped to see most. She quickly spotted Dumbledore, his shining silver hair and brightly coloured robes hard to miss. But she didn't recognise the people on either side of him.

 _He didn't come._ Lily felt tears spring to her eyes, but quickly blinked them away. It hadn't mattered to her that Petunia wasn't there, or that she couldn't find Minerva or Alice in the crowd. If she had seen James, she would have felt reassured. But he hadn't come, and Lily had never felt so alone.

* * *

James watched his friends fly ahead of him, and laughed as Sirius tried to fly loops around Remus.

"James, I'll race you to the edge of the forest!" called Remus, attempting to duck out of Sirius' reach. James was about to say no, but Remus had already sped up.

"Hurry up mate, you can't let Remus beat you!" shouted Sirius, still not entirely the right way up on his broom.

James reluctantly sped up and attempted to catch up to Remus. As they flew over the castle, he saw crowds of people standing outside, and felt guilty.

 _I should be down there,_ he thought. _What am I doing, acting like a prat up here when she's going through the biggest day of her life?_

But at that moment Sirius whizzed past him, bringing James back to reality. He sped up and told himself he'd think about Lily later.

* * *

"Your Majesty," Minerva said with a smile as she entered Lily's bedroom. The new queen was being helped out of her gown after a long night of banqueting, dancing, introductions and small talk. She was exhausted.

"I can't believe you're really Queen," said Minerva. Lily thought she sounded a tad emotional, but when she looked to check, the Royal Minder had turned away.

"Neither can I," admitted Lily, as she finally stepped out of her gown and into her bedclothes. "It's definitely going to take some time to get used to it."

"I know, and I just wanted you to know that I'll be here with you." Minerva sat on Lily's bed and beckoned her to sit. "Until you turn eighteen, I will still be your minder. And after that, I hope that you will allow me to assist you as a counsel." Lily was completely sure this time that Minerva was getting emotional. "I realise that you may not always feel that you need me, but I would like you to know that I will always be of service if needed."

Lily leaned forward for a hug; Minerva was surprised but gratefully accepted it.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me," said Lily, who could hear emotion in her own voice. "I'm always going to want you around."

Minerva gave Lily a watery smile and rose to leave, but Lily stopped her.

"Um, I actually have a question…"

"Yes?"

"Well…" Lily wasn't sure how to broach the subject. "Now that I'm Queen, I was just wondering what the, um, the protocol would be if I were to, um… Meet someone. Romantically."

Minerva looked surprised at Lily's choice of question. "Why do you ask? Did you meet someone this evening?"

"No…" Lily felt that admitting when she met the someone in mind would give too much away. "I just wanted to know, in case I ever did meet someone. I was just curious," she added when Minerva began to look at her suspiciously.

"Well, if this is all hypothetical," Minerva said slowly, "I would say that usually, the choice would be up to you. If your sister had stayed on the throne, you may have been married to someone in another kingdom in order to form or reinforce a bond, but seeing as you are the sovereign of your own kingdom, you of course must stay here. We wouldn't be looking for a match for you until you turn eighteen."

"And could it be anyone?"

Minerva looked even more suspicious now. "Well of course you are only socialising in certain circles; the only young men you'll meet over the next few years will be aristocrats. Are you sure this is all hypothetical, Your Majesty?"

Lily nodded quickly. "Absolutely, I was just thinking that this was one big day, and that the next big one would be my wedding."

Minerva didn't seem to believe Lily's excuse, but accepted it anyway. As Lily was left alone and climbed into bed, she wondered what all of this meant.

 _Not that any of it matters,_ she thought. _He clearly isn't interested._

Just after Lily fell asleep, her ring began to glow.

* * *

A few minutes later, James landed on Lily's balcony. He opened the door and saw that the room was dark.

 _Maybe she sleeps somewhere else now that she's Queen,_ thought James, once again mentally kicking himself for not attending the coronation. He was about to leave when he heard the sound of breathing. He took a few steps into the room and saw that Lily was asleep in her bed. He watched her for a moment, torn between waking her so that he could talk to her, and feeling very creepy for being in a sleeping girl's bedroom. As he decided what to do, he spotted the desk by her bed. He sat down at it, took a piece of parchment and a quill out of a desk drawer, and began to write her a note.

 _Lily,_

 _I came to say hello, but you were asleep. I hope you don't mind that I took a piece of parchment, I just wanted you to know that I was here._

 _I'm sorry that I wasn't at the coronation today. I should have been there on your big day, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to not go. I understand if you're annoyed with me, I know I would be if I were you._

 _I wasn't sure what a Queen would want on her coronation and I'm sure you get these all the time, but I hope you like them anyway. If you want to talk, you know how to find me._

 _Love,_

 _James._

James folded the note and placed it on the desk, then conjured a glass vase and placed a bunch of lilies that he'd brought inside it.

 _Everyone probably gives her lilies,_ he thought. But he'd already mentioned them in his note, so he decided to leave them there. He took one last glance at Lily, resisting the urge to kiss her, before leaving the room and flying away.

As he looked at the stars in the sky around him, he thought about how easy it would be to just keep flying, to not stop until he didn't recognise anything around him. It seemed tempting for a moment, but he knew he couldn't do it. He'd never be able to stay. He tried to tell himself it was because he'd miss his friends, Dumbledore, and magic, but there was one thing that would always be a part of his life, no matter how far he flew to get away.

Not that it mattered. Now she was a Queen.


	7. Sex Ed

**AN: Hello! Thank you for reading my fic! I hope you're enjoying it!**

 **I have two questions about where I should take the direction of this fic, so if you could let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it.**

 **1\. I've already rated this fic M, both because I think that there will be both sexual content and a small bit of swearing in it. In terms of sexual content, how far do you think I should go? Time lapses, full-on smut, something in between? Let me know.**

 **2\. I don't want the bulk of the story to happen until James and Lily are a bit older, so what would you prefer to see- a brief recap of a year or so at the start of a chapter, a few little moments that are spaced a few months apart? Once again, please let me know!**

* * *

"How does a girl actually get pregnant?"

James turned his head at the question. Sirius was juggling apples, watching the fruits but with a curious expression on his face.

James thought for a moment. "I don't actually know," he admitted. "Muggles do it, so clearly it isn't a spell."

"It's sex," said Remus, not even bothering to look up from his book.

"Sex…" said James, hoping that if he said the word too, it would sound like he'd heard of it before.

"Oh right, yeah," said Sirius, still juggling. James looked over at him.

"You don't know what sex is, you prat!"

"Well you don't either!" said Sirius, chucking an apple at James. He threw a second one at Remus to get his attention, before taking a bite out of the third.

"Go on then, Remus. Tell us what sex is, if you're so clever. James needs to know what to look out for in our beloved Queen." Sirius winked at James as he said this. Once again, James regretted telling his friends about his feelings for Lily.

Remus put down his book. "Well let's forget the Queen for a minute, if we can all manage that," he said, taking his own chance to wink at James. "It's easier to explain if it's all impersonal."

Remus then began to explain the process of sex. Fifteen minutes later, he sat back and smiled smugly at the expression on his friends' faces.

"How do you know all this?" asked James. As far as he knew, Remus had never done anything like that.

"Learned it in a book. Haven't you ever been curious where we came from?"

"Well of course I have Remus, that's why I asked you," said Sirius, who had begun doodling a picture of a woman, now including the new body parts he knew about. "This also explains certain things I wanted to do when I was snogging that girl behind the sweet shop last week."

James thought about things he had wanted to do while snogging. He felt his face go red.

"So, Lily's going to… do that. And I'm going to have to know about it."

Sirius' eyes sparkled. "Not unless you do it first yourself, mate."

James didn't have to think of a reply because at that moment, his ring began to glow. "It's Lily," he said, "I guess she found my note."

"I guess she wants to have sex with you!" laughed Sirius, who held up his doodles to show the body parts necessary for the act.

"Good luck, Remus; he's going to have a lot of fun with this," said James as he walked out of the room.

"Oh God, I know," sighed Remus, who, thanks to Sirius, now had two or three paper aeroplanes magically flying around his head.

* * *

Lily took a deep breath to calm herself as she heard James knock on her balcony door. She wasn't sure how she felt about James right now. She'd been so hurt when he hadn't been at her coronation, but when she woke up and found his note, she was touched. And of course, the flowers were beautiful. It was true, she was normally surrounded by lilies as they were, of course, her namesake, but James had been wrong; no-one had actually given them to her before. She had moved the vase beside her bed, and looked at them one more time before going to open the door.

As soon as she saw James, she knew how she felt; and it wasn't angry or upset. With his hand nervously ruffling his hair and him looking down at her because he was so gangly and tall, she couldn't help but smile, and was glad when he smiled back at her.

"Your Highness," he said with a bow, before standing up straight suddenly. "No! I mean, Your Majesty! That's right, isn't it? Your Majesty?" James wished he'd looked up the correct term before coming over.

Lily laughed. "Lily," she corrected him. "Though yes, "Your Majesty" is my official title now."

Lily moved back to let James in. "Thank you for the lilies," she said. "I love them."

James ruffled his hair again. "Oh it's fine, I'm sorry I didn't have anything more special for you. And I'm sorry I wasn't at the coronation." He was looking her in the eye now. "I should have been there for you. I didn't come because I was embarrassed, y'know, about what happened last time." James turned away and sat in an armchair; he'd just made things even more embarrassing by bringing it up again.

Lily followed him over to the chair and stood in front of him. "I don't want you to be embarrassed. I didn't tell you before because I didn't know if I could… I still don't know if I can, but I don't care. James, I care about you too."

James looked up at her, his hopes raised. Did she really mean it? She looked like she did.

She took another step closer to him so that their knees were touching, and took his hands in hers. "I'm sorry that you were embarrassed. I really hated the way things ended before." James could see that she was getting upset. "I just, I didn't-"

James pulled Lily down to sit on his knee, then put his arms around her. "It's okay," he said softly, stroking her hair. Lily leaned into him and he sat back in the armchair, the two of them cuddled up. After a moment, Lily had calmed down and brought her face in front of James'. They both had so many things they wanted to say, but as they looked at each other, it felt like it could all wait.

They kissed, and it felt like they could pour everything they felt into that kiss. James held Lily as tight as she could, feeling like she might disappear is he didn't kiss her hard enough. Lily moved her weight off James, and he thought she was about to stop kissing him, when instead she had moved her legs so that she could straddle him. As she put her weight back on top of him, everything felt a hundred times better. In fact, certain parts of him were starting to feel too good…

"Wait," he said, pulling away from Lily, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. "I just found out about sex, and we've got to make sure that we don't do that-"

But James didn't get any further, because Lily had burst out laughing.

"You just found out about sex? You're nearly seventeen!" She sat back slightly. "Didn't Dumbledore ever tell you where babies come from?"

James reddened, not realising this was something he was already supposed to know.

"No, why would he tell me about that?"

"Because it's such a basic thing! It's happened to all of us, and we can't have children without knowing about it!" Lily blushed at her own choice of words. "Well, not you and me, a hypothetical 'we', but… I can't believe you didn't know."

James tried to imagine Dumbledore giving him the speech that Remus had earlier. "I don't know, I have a feeling it's not something he'd want to teach."

Lily shook her head and got off James, crossed the room, and took a book from her bookshelf. "You should probably read this," she said, handing the book to James. "It's all about how the body changes, and things like sex and pregnancy." She paused. "I guess you'll have to learn to look out for the signs one day."

"Yeah." Now that James knew how Lily would become pregnant, he really didn't like the sound of it happening. He already hated the idea of meeting some prince who he would know had done all of those things.

"It won't happen for years, though," Lily added quickly. "I was talking to Minerva, and I'll have to be at least eighteen before I even start thinking about that kind of thing."

"Right." James stood up. Suddenly he didn't feel comfortable anymore. He made his way towards the door, but Lily ran in front of him to stop him leaving.

"James, wait." Lily looked up at him with her big green eyes, and James instantly softened. "This whole 'first born' thing is so far away from now, I don't even want to think about it yet. Can't we just see each other without having to think about all that? I don't want to lose you again."

James sighed, then pulled her into a hug. "Sure," he muttered into her hair. He didn't know how to feel about this, but like she said, nothing was going to happen for a few years. They might as well enjoy each other's company.


	8. Growing Close

**AN: Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed the last chapter, hopefully you like what I do with your advice!**

* * *

The next few months went by in a blur. James and Lily saw each other as often as they could. It always began the same way; one of their rings would glow and within a few minutes, James would appear at Lily's balcony door, asking "Pregnant yet?" with a devilish grin on his face.

* * *

They always either stayed in Lily's room or flew somewhere on James' broom. Once when they were flying, Lily noticed two other flying shapes coming closer to them. A little scared, she pointed them out to James.

"Oh crap," he muttered. "We're going to have to land."

Lily felt her stomach tighten as James landed in a clearing, the other flying shapes landing somewhere nearby a moment later.

"Stay beside me," he said quietly, putting a protective arm around Lily. They both moved forward slowly, when suddenly two creatures burst through the trees, screeching. Lily cowered into James for a moment until she heard laughter, then looked up to see that they weren't creatures, but were in fact two teenage boys.

"Who the hell are these two?" she asked crossly, swatting at James, who was laughing almost as much as the boys were.

"These are my friends, Remus and Sirius," said James, trying to catch his breath.

Remus stepped forward, still grinning. "Apologies, your Majesty," he said with a small bow. "We just couldn't resist."

"No we could not" said Sirius dramatically, flinging out his arms and standing in what he clearly thought was a heroic pose. "Forgive us mere mortals, my liege, we but only jest! We are honoured to be in your ethereal presence." He was now on one knee in front of Lily, picking up the hem of her skirt as if to kiss it, but then flicked it up higher as if to have a look under it. It might have actually worked, if James hadn't kicked him out of the way.

"WOUNDED!" Sirius cried, lying on the ground with a hand to his forehead. "Did you see what that _brute_ did, my darling Queen?"

"I did," she said, looking up at James and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks." James kissed her back, and the two quickly became very enthusiastic.

"I feel wounded in more than one way now," Sirius muttered.

* * *

Lily loved her two new friends, and James was glad that they had all grown so close, but they both preferred when they spent their time together alone. They spent long hours walking through the forest, sitting in meadows or by the lake, talking, laughing, and getting to know one another. James would always ask lots of questions that Lily would laugh at because she thought they were insignificant.

"Why would you care what my favourite bird is?" she had giggled, but was surprised when she saw James' face become serious.

"Because I want to know everything about you." He said it in such a solemn way that Lily felt a rush of affection for him, and decided that the best response was a kiss. As he found a beautiful young woman suddenly on top of him, James thought he should ask insignificant questions more often.

* * *

There were other times when there wasn't much talking at all. On more than one occasion, James had entered Lily's bedroom with his trademark question, and would receive a physical response rather than a verbal one. James loved that Lily had to pull him down to her height by his collar in order to kiss him because he was so tall. Lily loved that James would always grab her by her bum and hold on to it for dear life in order to bring her lips closer to his.

Things always began pretty similarly; they would hold on to each other, trying to reach each other's lips, attempting to move somewhere more comfortable without having to stop kissing. Once they had shuffled their way to a chair, the couch or the bed, the real fun would begin.

They had begun slowly, as neither of them had any experience in this kind of thing. As they got to know each other's bodies better, they became braver. Lily had initially been a little reluctant when James' hands began to wander, but that soon faded away when she discovered how good it felt to be touched.

The first place Lily's hands went was always James' hair. She loved how thick it was, and that no matter how much she ran her hands through it, it couldn't look any messier than it had when he arrived.

Over the few months that they'd known each other, Lily and James' bodies had changed, making each of them find the other more and more fascinating. James had grown even taller, and his shoulders had grown broader, which Lily loved. When he did something that showed how strong she was, like carry her to her bed or push her up against a wall, she felt herself ache with want. Lily's body had become an hourglass; her breasts and hips had grown to give her a womanly figure that made James want to drool. Any time that she walked in front of him, it took all his self-restraint not to grab her from behind. Once she had bent over from that angle. It had almost killed him.

* * *

Since turning seventeen, Lily had become braver and more open to trying new things. A few weeks after her birthday, James had shown up at her balcony door after his ring had glowed a few minutes earlier.

Opening the door, he asked his standard question. "Pregnant y-"

But the sight before him made him forget what he was going to say. He could have come to warn Lily about the apocalypse, but his mind didn't stand a chance against what he saw.

Lily was lying on her bed, wearing nothing but a matching set of black lace underwear. James had never seen her in anything like that before; he hadn't even known she owned clothes like that. The clothes usually came off when they were on top of each other anyway, so this was the best view of her body he'd ever seen. He was awestruck.

"Are you just going to look at me, or are you going to come over here?" Lily asked, a smile on her face that, in James' opinion, only made her sexier.

"I was hoping to do both," he said, walking slowly towards her. While he definitely wanted to make the most of this amazing scenario, he wanted to memorise what he was looking at. Her gorgeous pale skin, the curves of her hips, the way that bra made her breasts look… James was already hard by the time he reached the bed.

James kneeled on the side of the bed and leaned down to kiss Lily, his hands running up her sides and going straight for her breasts. Lily moaned at how good his hands felt, and the bra was quickly removed. Lily moved over to one side of the bed and James lay beside her. She pulled his shirt off and felt his skin as he started to kiss his way down her neck until he reached her breasts, which quickly consumed all of his attention. She already had her hands in his hair and felt like she'd forget all about her plan for the evening if she didn't stop him at that exact moment.

"Up here," she said in a husky voice. James reluctantly let her guide his face back up to hers, but was glad that he did when he felt Lily's hands slide down his body. She traced her fingers down his torso, along his hipbones, and then began to stroke the bulge she felt through the fabric of his trousers.

"I have a surprise for you," she whispered. James had begun to move his own hands down to Lily's one remaining item of clothing, but Lily stopped him. "This is all about you."

Before James could ask what she meant, she had hooked her leg around his hip and pushed him down so that she was straddling him. Looking up at her, almost entirely naked, with the light shining of her skin, James didn't think he'd ever seen Lily look more beautiful.

He was so overcome by his desire for her that instinctively he sat up and embraced her. Their kissing became heated and after a few minutes, Lily pushed him back down, gasping for breath. She began kissing and sucking on his neck, moving her lips until she heard the deep growling noise that turned her on so much. She continued to kiss down his body, and James began to wonder what this surprise was. It couldn't be… Could it? James was desperately trying not to get his hopes up, but all the evidence was pointing towards it. Just as he thought he might spring out of his trousers, Lily opened them.

 _Wow,_ she thought. She'd only ever felt him a few times, and had never actually seen what she'd been feeling. She hadn't been expecting it to be this… big. Trying to hide her nervousness, she began to stroke it.

"Listen, you don't have to do anything you d-" Once again, all of James' thoughts had been pushed out of his mind, this time by a pair of lips.

At that moment, James decided this was the best night of his life.


	9. Betrothed

Another few months passed, and soon James and Lily were both eighteen. For both of them, it meant that they were being pushed to work harder; and though neither of them were willing to admit it, their hectic work lives were taking a toll on their relationship.

It had gotten to the point where more often than not, when James arrived on Lily's balcony, her room was either empty, or he could hear multiple voices inside and knew not to go in. Sometimes, Lily rubbed her ring but James just didn't come; she knew it was never intentional, but it still upset and frustrated her that in the few hours she had free to be with him, he couldn't be with her.

Before turning eighteen, it had seemed to James that Dumbledore had been quite laidback about teaching his apprentices, and had felt that each of his students should learn in their own way. Now that they were all of age, however, this approach seemed to have vanished. Suddenly the four of them were flying hundreds of miles to observe rare magical creatures, find potion ingredients, practice spells on ancient sites, and attempt to unravel what exactly the source of their magic was. Remus had always been a bookworm so James wasn't surprised that he was doing so well in these new lessons, but when Sirius was also miles ahead despite never seeming to study, James felt that he needed to work twice as hard as the others just to keep up. Any moment that wasn't spent out of the tower was spent reading dusty tomes of forgotten spells and then practicing them on Peter, who was often woken late at night by whatever hex James wanted to practice first.

Running a country was no joke either. Lily had thought that her duties as Queen were already tough, then she discovered that jobs had actually been held back from her until she had come of age. Fourteen hours, seven days a week of meeting subjects, arguing with politicians, touring the country and a thousand other jobs often felt like too much for just one person. As she remarked this to Madam McGonagall, who had now been promoted from Royal Minder to Secretary of State, the older woman had replied, "Well, it won't be just one person for much longer". Lily had been swept away by a servant before she'd had the chance to ask what Minerva meant, but the comment had been hard to forget.

It seemed like James' ring was flashing constantly. _Okay,_ he thought, _it's probably only twice a day, but it seems like a lot. She must really miss me._ The thought made James smile to himself, but he also wished that Lily didn't have to miss him, and that he didn't have to miss her. _I'm going to have to see her tonight, no matter what. It's been too long._

* * *

That night, after waiting to see if Lily was alone, James entered her bedroom.

"Pregnant yet?" He'd expected a more joyous response, but Lily seemed to be frozen to the spot, white as a sheet, her eyes glistening with tears. James felt his stomach drop.

"Oh God, what's happened? Are you alright?" He had crossed the room in three strides, and had taken Lily's hands in his own. He looked down for a moment when he felt an absence on her fingers.

"Why aren't you wearing the ring?" James smiled as he asked, but only out of nervousness.

Lily kept her eyes down.  
"Because I'll be wearing another ring soon." As much as she didn't want to, she made herself look James in the eyes as she said the next sentence. "I'm getting married."

James felt his blood run cold. He tried to laugh nervously, but all that came out of his mouth was a strange, strangled noise. He looked down at Lily, who was trying to look anywhere but at him. He dropped her hands and spoke in the coldest voice she had ever heard.

"Who?"

Lily sat on the edge of her bed, still refusing to look at James. She felt sick.

"His name is Severus Snape. He's a lord from a nearby kingdom; I've never actually met him."

James let out a laugh at this; a loud, sharp bark.

"You're marrying a man you've never even met? Why? How could you possibly know that you could love him, or even get on with him? You could be dooming yourself to a life with someone you can't stand."

"You think I don't know that?" She was on her feet now, staring James in the eye, no longer trying to hide the tears that were streaming down her face. "I don't want to marry him, James, I don't. I don't want to marry someone I don't know, someone who doesn't know me, but I have to. It's my only choice."

James was quiet for a moment. "Your only choice... So I was never even an option?"

He turned away from her to pace the room but she grabbed his arm, thinking he was trying to leave. "James, please…"

"James, please what? Please stay with me while I marry someone else so I don't have to give anything up? Please absolve me of any blame because I don't want to feel guilty? Your only choice… You know what, Lily, if you cared enough about me you could have made sure I was a choice."

"James, it isn't a marriage of love, it's political. It's for stability, to unite our kingdom and his."

"And that couldn't have been done any other way?"

Lily paused. "I've tried," she said in a quiet voice. As she sat on the bed, her body shaking from tears, James felt his anger fall away for a moment. Only then did it really sink in; this was over. He cleared his throat, but his voice still wobbled.

"We were drifting apart; maybe if we'd seen more of each other recently, I'd have known about this sooner. I'd have tried to stop all this then before it all happened, rather than now, when… it's too late." Their eyes met. He silently begged her to tell him it wasn't too late, and she wished with all her heart that she could.

"If I could marry anyone I wanted-"

"You can! Don't try and pull that bullshit, Lily. You're the Queen, if you want to marry someone else, you can."

"It's not that simple, James! My marriage doesn't just affect me, it affects the thousands of people who call me their Queen. Anyone else's marriage would be between just two people, but this will change so many lives, for the better if I say yes, and for worse if I say no. As much as I wish I could find some way to just _wait_ and see what would happen between us, I can't."

There was a pause as both of them desperately tried to think of an instant solution to their problem, but neither of them could come up with anything.

"Well you've made your choice, just don't expect me to stay around to watch it happen." Without another word, James walked out, and was in the air before Lily could follow him. As he soared away from the castle on his broom, he looked back at the small figure on the balcony, took off his ring, and dropped it. As he turned to look in front of him, he allowed the tears he'd been holding back to flow, pushed off his face by the wind.

As Lily watched James disappear into the night, she felt so upset that she thought she might be sick. Even when she had almost died, it hadn't hurt this much. _And this time, he won't ease my pain,_ she thought. _He won't be there to heal me anymore._

* * *

James returned to the tower, slamming the door behind him as he entered.

"Oooooh," said Sirius, looking up from his game of cards with Remus. "Had a fight with the missus?" James tried to walk past them to the stairs, but Sirius blocked his way.

"Come on now, tell us what happened," said Sirius with his usual impish grin, which faded from his face when he saw that his friend was more upset than he expected. The panic on Sirius' face told Remus what had happened, and so he put down his own cards and guided James to the couch.

"It's over," James said tiredly as he sat down.

"Completely?" asked Remus gently. "Sometimes these things-"

"She's getting married," said James flatly. "So it's pretty permanent."  
"Crap," Remus muttered. "I'm sorry mate, I know you really liked her."  
"Yeah it's a shame, I kind of liked her too," said Sirius, but then quickly changed his tone when both James and Remus glared at him. "I meant I liked her as your girlfriend! You know, I could put up with her. Who's she marrying?"

"Lord Severus Snape." James didn't even attempt to hide his bitterness.

"Twat," said Remus and Sirius at the same time, sharing a proud look for hating someone so identically.

"Well the only consolation I can give you is that it's not like you're going to see her any time soon," said Sirius, clapping James on the shoulder. "You'd never accidentally run into her, and we're always so busy that you can use that as an excuse to avoid dropping in. You can take your time to get her out of your mind and get over her without having to see her."

It wasn't the best consolation but it was worth keeping in mind, and as James went to bed that night, he told himself that he might not see her for months. When he woke the next morning however, his post told him otherwise.

 _You are cordially invited to a ball held to celebrate the engagement of_

 _Her Royal Highness Queen Lily Evans_

 _and_

 _Lord Severus Snape_

James didn't bother to read any more; those few lines were enough to make him feel sick. A quiet "Oh crap" from behind told him that Sirius had read the invitation over his shoulder.

As Lily was dressed by her servants that morning, she kept glancing over to the dresser where she had left James' ring. Alice noticed the glances and walked over to the dresser asking, "Is there anything else you require, your Majesty?" As she opened the top drawer, she found the ring and looked at her Queen. She brought the ring over and placed the ring on the fourth finger of Lily's right hand.

"You might not be able to wear it where you'd like to, but you can still wear it," she said quietly, holding Lily's hand in her own. "I know it was tough, your Majesty, but it had to be done."

 _But did it really?_ Lily asked herself. She'd tried to think of other options a thousand times before yesterday, and probably a thousand more times last night, but hadn't been able to come up with anything. But as she looked at her bare left hand, she felt that if she was really making the right decision, it wouldn't feel like this.


End file.
